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AldeanFan · 11-17-2020, 08:26 AM

Each fall I jack up the truck and pressure wash my frame, let it dry then hit any spots that need it with black spray paint, like rustoleum or tremclad.

Then a week or more later I take it to the Krown rust proofing shop to get sprayed.
They do the frame and also drill holes and spray inside the doors. I could do that myself but it’s not worth the effort cost and mess.

I drop the spare tire before rust proofing so they can get up above that.

Peter417 · 11-23-2020, 10:00 AM

I still need to hit a few panels again with the polisher but this truck is looking much better. I ended up using the m105 followed by the m205. This got about 80% of the scratches and the paint does shine and you can see reflections again. I probably have about 10-15 hours in washing, claying, polishing and waxing. Hopefully I can keep it it looking decent now. The I used the cyclo for all the steps including the wax. It worked great.

The frame is also looking pretty good with a new coat of black on it. I still have some cleaning and painting to do on the front end but I will get to that when I do the front suspension work.

In other news the HIR lighting upgrade has officially started. I am starting with the back and I will make my way up to the headlights and fogs in a month or two.

AldeanFan · 11-23-2020, 12:51 PM

Truck is looking great!

Peter417 · 11-24-2020, 07:47 AM

Are any of you guys running the Osram 615905-35W 12V GY6.35 reverse lights? This costs about $18 for both and the install only requires you to bend the contacts a bit with a small screwdriver. I will let the pictures speak for themselves. The color temperature 2900k and the cri is a perfect 100. I set a fixed exposure for my camera on these pictures. The dog is about 15 feet away for scale.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001BMUFN8/
These lights are called Halogen IR. These are close to the power and output of HID technology without all the extra baggage.

Peter417 · 12-28-2020, 07:15 PM

I have been pretty busy on the truck. The old 3rd gen 4runner shares a lot of the front end components with the tundra. I felt like the tundra was loose. It turns out it was. When I crawled under the truck while my wife turned the wheels I noticed how. Much play was in the steering rack. The alignment cam bolts were seized in the lower control arms ( a common problem on these trucks). That leaves 2 options, get new control arms or drill out and press in new bushings. I let a local shop do the labor. That was not a fun bill $$$.

I was pretty torn on what to do for the struts. I narrowed things down to billstein 6112s, king, fox and ads. I ended up going with the 6112 for the front and 5160 in the rear. I really do want to try a progressive rate strut like king or fox but that will have to happen another day.

I made a lot of front end changes at once. My first impression was whoa I got to get this dash rattle fixed. I cut some closed cell foam into 1/2-3/4" strips and used a plastic paint scraper to stuff it between dash. That made a huge improvement in rattles. Now my brain could focus on the suspension. The first hundred miles definitely felt a bit harsh on the small bumps. That was definitely not what I was going for and I was wishing I had made a different choice. I feel like things settled in after about 200 miles. Around that time I also added 25 pounds over the front strut in the form of a northstar agm group 31 battery. I probably have close to 1000 miles on the setup. My mind has completely changed since my initial impression. I love this setup. I am all smiles and I can't wait to hop in and drive. There is still a bit more harshness in small single bumps than I would like but it doesn't bother me as much as it did. With that minor complaint out of the way these struts absolutely swallow up the bumps and the truck maintains its composure and line. On bumpy and or twisty roads I find myself driving faster while having more control. The steering is nice and tight now as well. I had pretty high expectations going into this and I think they have been met. I don't feel like i am fighting the roads any more. I have just barely touched rough gravel, but at 15 miles an hour things felt great. I need to get more miles on the setup. I have not towed with this setup yet. I don't have any concerns.

There is more but I'm tired of thumb typing on my phone.

Tldr
The used truck tax fairy punched me in the gut

Rebuilt lower control arms
Spc alignment bolts
Spc upper control arms
Bilstein 6112 front struts 5160 rear
Fewer dash squeaks
New steering rack bushings and rack boot
Northstar group 31 battery

Next up: tires
255/75/17 or 275/70/17 or 265/70/17
That is the question ��

Peter417 · 01-29-2021, 12:41 PM

I ended up going with 275/70/17. I think this truck is ready to the travel season. I will review them once I have some miles on them. I do run the frame on left turns I will have to see how that plays out.

AldeanFan · 02-03-2021, 06:49 AM

New tires look good,

Your truck looks more level than mine, maybe even nose up a little, is that due to the front end work?

Steamy1 · 02-03-2021, 09:01 AM

just saw this thread for the first time. one item I would suggest you put on the list is to perform a throttle body cleaning and service.

These engines are known for having issues if this is not performed on a regular basis, such as going into "limp" mode. I ended up replacing the entire throttle body on my 2000 Land Cruiser to finally solve the problem. I only had 90,000 miles on it.

lots of youtube videos on this.

21Airstream · 02-03-2021, 10:30 AM

Nice truck. I wish Toyota would come out with a 3/4 Ton comparable to what the Big 3 offer.

Peter417 · 02-03-2021, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AldeanFan

New tires look good,

Your truck looks more level than mine, maybe even nose up a little, is that due to the front end work?

The front is setting up higher than factory by about an inch and a half. The fender to the center of the hub is 21.5" in the front and 22" in the back. All that to say the back sets a half inch taller than the front.

Peter417 · 02-03-2021, 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steamy1

just saw this thread for the first time. one item I would suggest you put on the list is to perform a throttle body cleaning and service.

These engines are known for having issues if this is not performed on a regular basis, such as going into "limp" mode. I ended up replacing the entire throttle body on my 2000 Land Cruiser to finally solve the problem. I only had 90,000 miles on it.

lots of youtube videos on this.

Thanks I will do some research.

Peter417 · 02-17-2021, 08:23 PM

I always wanted to look into getting the windows tinted in my old pickup and I just never got around to it and always regretted it. I decided I would not do that again. The local tint joint gave me a quote of $97 after tax to tint the front windows and he said he could have get it in the next day. That was an easy yes. I kept the tint legal. I have enough problems in my life.

I had a 3 day weekend from work and I am missing a tank from VTS so I took the opportunity to upgrade the technology in the tundra. With the distance of the double cab and the 3 windows I need to peer through to backup I knew a backup camera was in order. I decided to go with an android head unit for the brains. I am using osmand for my mapping needs and the ability to play any digital media file will be handy. I plan to take this offline once it is all setup. I is capable of holding nearly a 1TB of data so that should not be to hard to manage.

Peter417 · 02-18-2021, 07:02 PM

I finally got the inside of the shell cleaned up. I can remember thinking 3 weeks or so ago when it was 49 degrees outside, I will wait for a warmer day.... Things have not improved. I had to do it in sub freezing temperatures. I deserved it for the procrastination. I brought the electric pressure washer in to thaw for a few hours and then went to work on the shell. I have a diy hoist for it so I lowered it to just over head height and did my best to keep the spray under the shell and running out the very slightly cracked garage door. Then I used a hand sprayer and some dish soap to soap it up and then I rubbed it all down with a rag. I rinsed everything with the pressure washer again and I think that will take care of most of the smell. I plan to have a sleeping arrangement in here soon, so the fuel smell needs to go. Most of the visible rock dust is gone. I left the shell to hang with a fan on it for a few hours and then put it back on the truck. The water was starting to freeze rather than dry at that point. We head to Leadville in a few days. This will be the first out of state adventure. No towing this time though.